Beyond the Door
by SuperSorrel007
Summary: Sora's normal life, only just rebuilt after a year's mysterious absence, is shattered again by a Royal summons. Now the ancient feud that created the universe threatens to tear it asunder – and it's up to him to restore balance, once and for all. KH3
1. Close Encounters

"Once upon a time, against all odds, a little boy from a small world rose up and saved the universe - twice. Now, two years later, he finds himself thrown into the fray yet again as the powers that created the worlds threaten to tear them asunder... and this time, he isn't alone."

_Author's Note: Huh, I finally got me an account here. Interesting. Well, here goes nothin'... Oh! And by the by, I've only played Kingdom Hearts, KH:CoM, and KHII, so if there's been new information revealed in any games besides those three, I don't know it. And I do apologize for the slow beginning chapters; pacing is my greatest weakness! XD_

_Disclaimer: If I actually did own Kingdom Hearts, I would be obscenely wealthy - and this wouldn't be a "fan" fiction. There're a few things here that I did create, but I'll let you know when you see them._

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**I. Close Encounters**

Something hot slashed across his face – it missed by inches. Sora fell back with a yelp, landing in a somersault and springing to his feet. The bright creature hissed and lunged again. His arm swung in an arc to smash it from the air, sending it tumbling into a bush. A burning smell reached him; his sleeve glowed red where it had touched the thing, and wispy smoke rose in ominous tendrils.

His adversary thrashed furiously, tangled in the scrub's tough branches – it was a tiny beast unlike anything he'd seen. Though it was roughly the size of a Shadow, the most harmless of the Heartless, there was no mistaking this for one of the world's dark enemies.

It seemed made of light itself, or something similarly insubstantial; it was translucent, shining like a fallen star, tiny wisps of radiance curling away from it like smoke. The thing looked almost birdlike, with an arrow-shaped head, two springy taloned legs, and a spade-tipped devil's tail. Its "wings" sported wickedly sharp claws, which lashed out at its woody prison to devastating effect, slicing through brambles and beach grasses as easily as paper.

Sora scrambled backward, the scrunching sand beneath his feet affording little traction. He accidentally kicked a thick branch, newly fallen from a nearby wind-bent tree; the boy snatched it up eagerly. Burning wood was easier to deal with than burning flesh.

No sooner had he moved than the bush smoked, sparked, and burst into flame. There was a flash of light – he threw up one hand to shield his eyes – and the bright raptor exploded from the fire like a striking serpent.

Instinct moved his arm in a thrust. The creature sailed _through_ his improvised weapon as if it didn't exist, wingclaws lashing across his cheek as it flew past. The fiery agony came moments later. He sucked in a breath through gritted teeth, steeling himself against the pain – he hadn't faced combat like this in almost two years.

The bright bird-thing banked sharply, backwinging to land on the leaning tree. For a moment, boy and beast stared at each other. Sora tightened his grip on the smoldering branch, eyes wide, adrenaline slowing time to a crawl. The thing ruffled its wispy feathers smugly. Tendrils of smoke rose from the wood beneath its shining talons.

_What is this thing?_

With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and summoned a memory he hadn't called on since his return to the Destiny Islands – a memory of warmth, of power, of iron determination. Once again he felt the familiar pins-and-needles in his hands and arms, a whirlwind of sensation rushing from his heart to his limbs. He felt the rush of displaced air brushing his face as matter materialized where it should not be. The branch fell to the sand, useless, and he felt cold steel beneath his fingers.

When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer the high school boy who had once disappeared for a year. He was Sora, the Keyblade master who had saved the worlds – twice. He was a seasoned combat veteran who had eliminated thousands of otherworldly creatures like this one, armed with a priceless weapon.

The beast took one look at the thing that had appeared from nowhere, a strange creation somewhere between sword and key – and the raptor dived for him. Sora swung the Keyblade in a simple parry, as he'd done a thousand times before.

And the beast passed through it.

"_What the –_ _!_"

There was no time for shock. It slammed into his face with a triumphant screech – only quick reflexes saved him from third degree burns. He dropped to his knees and rolled, shoving the thing away, singeing his fingerless gloves against its blazing form.

Sora scrambled to his feet, frantically raising his ethereal weapon, wincing at his stinging palms and the crimson beads trickling down his cheek. The creature, sent sprawling by the impact, scuttled upright in the same instant. It unfurled its wings aggressively, hissing like an enraged cobra.

The boy's eyes narrowed coldly, and he spat a mouthful of blood into one of the burning bushes. "No fair, man."

The beast opened its arrowhead mouth; it was like a window into some pitch-dark otherworld, entirely opposite its outer brilliance. The fangs, however, were fire-bright and needle-sharp. It snarled – a sound of whistling wind and crushed glass.

It gathered itself for a slashing leap –

A blast of energy exploded the sand between the combatants.

The bright thing's head whipped left and right in search of the disturbance's source, but the smoke from the various brushfires had thickened to the point of obscuring vision. Something dark came slashing through the fire behind it. There was a thick _fwunk_ sound, and a scarlet blade-tip burst through its translucent chest.

With a gurgling sigh, the creature dissolved in a cloud of drifting sparks.

The world was silent, save the crackling fires. Sora blinked. The Keyblade's tip danced in the air as his hands trembled, still aiming at where the thing had been. Slowly he became aware of his own pounding heart, his shallow breathing. His eyes fell on the blade that had felled what the Keyblade could not: a dark sword, fashioned in the shape of a bat's wing, a large blue tiger's-eye stone set just above the hilt.

Sora breathed a sigh of relief. "Hey, Riku."

The tall figure that materialized out of the smoke was indeed his childhood friend. It was difficult to discern most of him from the night itself, with his dark green jacket and leggings blending with the surrounding blackness, but his albino-white hair and face stood out like a beacon.

"You alright?"

"Yeah," Sora answered in a quavering voice. _ I think._ Then, almost sarcastically, "You know, I was starting to think you weren't gonna show up."

"People don't usually leave a big beach party to go wandering by themselves." Riku stooped and picked up the blade, flicking the sand from it before hooking it onto a belt loop. "Good thing I followed, apparently."

Sora massaged the back of his neck sheepishly. He couldn't dislodge a cold weight that had begun settling in his chest. "Uh… yeah, thanks for that. I don't know what happened there."

Riku's eyebrows raised. "I didn't get a good look at it, but that didn't look like any Heartless I've seen. You _sure_ you're alright?"

"I'm fine, just rusty." The boy hesitated. Then, running a nervous hand through his hair, he raised the Keyblade and inspected it. After a moment, he sighed again, completely bewildered. "Weird… this thing looks okay, too. But it didn't work."

Silence.

"What?"

"It didn't _work_, Riku. The Keyblade. That thing just phased right through it – like fighting a Nobody with a stick."

The albino boy stared for a moment. Then he narrowed his eyes.

"So then it's not a Heartless – at least of the old kinds. And it's not a Nobody." The unspoken question hung in the air between them.

Sora opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by yet another voice calling out from the distance.

"_Why_ is everything on _fire?_"

There was a bright blue flash, a rush of cold air, and a nearby blaze died with a sudden hiss and a billowing cloud of steam. Moments later another fire met the same fate. Before either of them knew what was happening, Kairi vaulted over a fallen dead tree and pointed at a third patch. A bolt of blue light lanced from her fingertip and collided with the flames, instantly hardening into ice crystals that vaporized the moment they were born – dousing the fire in the process.

The redhead girl dropped her canvas knapsack and doubled over, hands on knees, panting. For a few seconds no one moved. Then she looked up, taking stock of the charred remains of local flora and the two boys' startled faces. Blinking, she spread her arms incredulously.

"Am I the only one worried about hidden arsonists, or did I miss something?"

Sora grinned. "We're lucky you still remember that Blizzard spell. But you missed the good part."

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Yeah, as always." Then, folding her arms seriously, "Was it another shiny thing?"

"There's _more_ of them?" the two blurted in unison.

"Yep. Not too many, though – I've only run into three so far. They don't do so well against ice."

"But they do fine against Keyblades."

Her eyes widened. Oddly enough, her face lit up in a relieved grin. "Oh, good! Yours didn't work either? I thought I was doing something wrong."

The boys exchanged worried glances. If the supposedly unstoppable weapons could _consistently _fail against this enemy, it didn't bode well for the future. But before they could dwell further on the problem and how they might remedy it, Kairi was on her knees rummaging through her bag. Grim-faced, she withdrew a dark, gleaming object.

"Anyway, I found this."

It was a glass bottle – probably green, though it was too dark to tell. The logo of some old beverage company had been stamped into its side with faded gold lettering. She bit down on the cork and tugged it out, with an ease that suggested she'd already broken the seal once. Up-ending it over her palm, she shook out the bottle's contents: a rolled slip of parchment, and something that looked like a marble.

She pocketed the marble and held out the parchment for them to inspect. "It's addressed to you, Sora – three guesses who it's from."

"Should've seen this coming," murmured Riku as Sora took and unfurled it. Words scrawled across its rough surface in a familiar, scribbling hand. A small red seal, stamped with a _very_ familiar sign, adorned the bottom.

Sora read it aloud.

"_Dear Sora,_

_ Sorry if this is a bad time to drop in. I haven't been traveling much since the whole Organization incident; maybe that's why it took so long for anyone to realize what's goin' on. Several close friends have told me about some bizarre things happenin' on some of the worlds – things that can't be explained by anything you all know about. I can't say much here, the paper's too short and there's a chance it could be intercepted. We're gonna need all the help we can get for this one. Meet us back in Radiant Garden as soon as possible, and bring your friends – Riku's a great fighter, and Kairi seemed pretty scrappy in that last showdown against the Nobodies. I promise I'll explain everything once you're here._

_Listen, sorry for being so cloak-and-dagger, Sora. I know this is hard and it's only been a couple of years. If there's any way I can make it up to you, just say the word._

_-Mickey_

_P.S: The tides have turned._"

He looked up at his friends. Despite everything this meant for their lives on the Islands, despite everything logic said was bad about this development, he found himself almost grinning. "Well, here we go again."


	2. Unusual Transportation

_Disclaimer: …meh, nobody reads these things anyway. Get on with it, Sorrel. Updates, AWAY!_

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**II.) Unusual Transportation**

"Well, I still say you're crazy."

Sora smirked, but didn't open his eyes. He was content to stay right where he was, sprawled on the sand of their little island outcropping, letting the sun warm his face. One simply couldn't appreciate the luxury of relaxation until it was ripped away from them – and, true to form, he'd spent the past two years catching up on what he'd missed.

Something kicked him in the head.

"_Ow!_ Jeez, Kairi, what was that for?"

Massaging his head, he opened his eyes a fraction and squinted against the sun, only to find himself in shadow. Kairi stood slouched over, hands on knees, grinning impishly as she drank in the sight of him partaking of his favorite pastime. Her head completely blocked his view of the sun, which framed her with its golden halo; stray locks of her fox-red hair, which had grown considerably since their last adventure, dangled in long scarlet curtains. She swept it behind her ear without thinking.

"Ha! Still a lazy bum, I see. Did you hear a word I said?"

"About me being crazy for helping the King? Yeah."

"No, about you being crazy for helping the King _without a second thought._"

He blinked. She raised her eyebrows and straightened, hands on hips. "Come on, Sora, you can't pretend it's easy to just get up and go like this. Last time you vanished, people went crazy – they all thought you'd been swept out to sea in that big storm or something. And you had to have noticed how much the town changed while you were gone. And on top of that, you came _this close_ to failing sophomore year because you just weren't there. Don't tell me summer school was fun."

Sora sat up, dusting himself off as best he could. True, it had been a pain to make up nine months' worth of work in less than three, but he'd had the teachers' sympathy – if not their complete trust, after his refusal to explain his and Riku's absence. He suspected they'd gone easy on him, unwilling to force a student to repeat a grade simply because they'd been kidnapped or lost at sea or whatever.

His friends had been more than willing to pitch in, too, once they'd gotten over the shock of finding him alive. After all, they were still his friends. But there was pity in their actions, too; it was obvious how much his own family had changed while he was missing.

"Hey, it's not like we have to go to school anymore," he offered with a shrug, refusing to pursue that particular line of thought. "We graduated, remember?"

She gave an exasperated groan and cuffed the back of his head, though there wasn't any real force to it. "College, genius! It's hard to get into a school after any kind of hiatus – and with the hit your GPA took, it's going to be even tougher."

"It always comes back to grades, doesn't it?"

"Ah, go bury your head or something. You know I'm just trying to look out for you."

Sora cocked an eyebrow, amused. He barely stifled a chuckle. "You, looking out for _me?_ Good one! _I_ remember having to watch your back all the time, once you got involved with the Nobodies."

His comment was rewarded with a playful punch to the gut.

"Oh, come on! I didn't even have any training!" Kairi retorted, full of mock indignation. "Riku just shoved a Keyblade at me and ran off to smack some Heartless around! There's no way I wasn't joining the fun."

"Oh yeah?" Sora stood, grinning devilishly as he brushed the sand from his cargo pants. "You still fought like a girl, Kairi."

"I _am_ a girl, doofus."

"Lame excuse!"

"You're just jealous 'cause I'd totally thrash you."

"Really? Wanna bet?"

"You're on!"

Sora barely saw her kick up a stick from the sandy ground. It was a thick specimen, not too heavy, but certainly not fragile. She raised it like a sword, assuming the basic ready-stance he'd taught her. She smiled wickedly. Casting around for a similar weapon, Sora noticed a thin bough of driftwood bobbing on the currents, bumping against the side of the islet's eroded cliff.

He leaped over the edge, snatching at a thick rope they'd tied to a nearby paopu tree and sliding down to the tide. Grabbing the branch and shaking off as much water as he could, he held it at arms length, spun it, practiced a quick thrust and parry. It was a bit heavy, waterlogged as it was, but it would do.

Aiming it like a javelin, he launched his weapon of choice up and over onto the islet, then began scrambling back up the rope.

"Hey, Sora!"

He turned to look back out to sea, where a small rowboat drifted toward them from the mainland. Its steersman waved.

"Awesome, Riku's here!" Sora called up to Kairi as he returned the gesture. He cupped one hand to the side of his mouth and called out. "Hey, Riku! What took you so long?"

"Had to leave a note! I'll be right there."

It didn't take long for the albino boy to pull into the docks. In little more than a minute, the three stood together on the islet as they had done so many times before. Kairi had retrieved her knapsack from the foot of the paopu tree. The three items of interest were now spread on the scrubby grass before them: the bottle, the letter, and the marble-looking thing.

"I don't recognize the brand name," said Riku, nudging the bottle with his foot. "It's probably from some other world, not that that's too surprising."

Kairi nodded toward the letter, one hand on her hip, the other gesturing as she spoke. "What gets me is the King's letter. He tells us to get to Radiant Garden, but doesn't offer any ideas on _how_ to get there. What're we going to do, sail?"

Sora smirked. "A couple years ago, yeah, we would've tried that." Kairi stooped and picked up the marble as he continued. "And the King wouldn't forget something that basic, so the answer's probably there in that thing." He watched her hold it up to the sun, peering closely.

"Hm. Well, it's pretty," she said, rolling it between her fingers. It was bright as a gem, a smooth-polished sphere of pure amethyst. "But I have no clue how a rock's supposed to – oh, look, there's an engraving!" She turned it toward Sora and Riku, pointing out an image stamped into it in gold leaf. It was tiny, but Sora thought it looked a bit like a stylized teardrop turned on its side. A memory tickled the back of his mind – he knew that rock from somewhere.

"Here, let me see." He held out his hand, and Kairi dropped it into his palm. Holding it closer to his face, he realized that the insignia was not of a teardrop, but a lamp. Specifically, the kind he'd seen everywhere on the desert world of Agrabah.

Suddenly realization dawned on him.

"Ah, wait! This is a Summon Stone."

"A what?" Kairi leaned in close for a second appraisal. "Looks like a marble to me. What's it do?"

"A Summon Stone helps you call on a friend's heart whenever you need them," he explained, showing it to Riku as well. "Beyond that, it depends on who you call on."

"How's phoning a friend going to help us?"

Sora grinned. If the King's plan was what he thought it was, they were in for an interesting ride. "I think I know – just watch."

He closed his fist around the little gem and closed his eyes. It had been so long since he'd last Summoned anyone, but still, to his surprise, the memory returned in an instant. In his mind's eye he could see the jovial phantom zooming in loop-de-loops around him, laughing uproariously, grinning from ear to ear with the sheer joy of freedom.

A sudden warmth blossomed between his fingers, a rush of wind whipped the sand around them into tiny dust-devils – and Kairi yelped.

Sora's eyes snapped open to find the three of them engulfed in glittering violet smoke. The pungent scent of incense filled his nose. The stone gave a spark of light. He let go instinctively; it hovered in the air, glowing like a fallen star and humming with power.

"_WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YEAH!_"

Riku ducked as some kind of huge blue missile swooped past his head. It looped around them, banked sharply upward, grazed the paopu branches, dived and skimmed the sea below, then soared skyward again in a series of dizzying acrobatics.

"Yeesh, I thought you'd _never_ figure it out. Brilliant deduction, Sherlock! I guess you're a detective as well as otherworldly pest control expert."

The Genie snapped his fingers, and a fedora appeared in a puff of smoke on Sora's head, accompanied by an overlarge trench coat draped about his shoulders. "Best in the business, in my opinion, not that there's any competition. But man, oh man, is it _good _to see you!" Genie ruffled his hair playfully and clapped him heartily on the back. He would have been at least a head taller than Riku, even if he hadn't been a floating specter whose lower half dissolved into azure smoke.

Sora beamed. Genie was exactly as he remembered – broad shoulders and a muscular chest, strong facial features and a neatly trimmed black goatee, with raven hair pulled back in a short queue.

The djinn leaned in close, inspecting Sora's face with narrowed black eyes. "Well, lookie here – someone's gotten even taller since I last saw him." Then he was by Riku's side, vigorously shaking the bewildered youth's hand. "And you must be the famously infamous Riku! Boy, we've heard _all_ about you from your spiky little friend here." And then he was hovering a few feet above them, observing Kairi with the eye of a jewel appraiser. "And _this_… Why, this must be Kairi! Am I right? Am I?"

Giggling uncontrollably, Kairi nodded and waved. "Haha, that's me alright. Who're you?"

Genie bowed with a flourish. "I, fair lady, am one who is greatly indebted to your most valorous friend." He swept an arm in Sora's direction, conjuring a rose with the other hand and offering it to her. "He sets me free, I come zap some bad guys when he needs me – and occasionally I chauffer him around. In this case –" There was a small explosion of the glittering smoke, and an airplane materialized atop a wind-bent paopu tree, modified landing gear gripping its trunk like a pair of bird feet. "I happen to be your ticket off this happy vacation spot. We're goin' first class, people, turbo-charged! There's a need for some serious _speed_ on this little mission."

Sora's eyebrow raised inquisitively. "What's the rush? Is it that bad, whatever the King was talking about?"

Genie suddenly grimaced.

"Oh, it's bad alright." He shuddered. "These critters make What's-Her-Face with the raven look like a toddler picking daisies."

"I find that _really_ hard to believe," interjected Riku, arms folded.

"Well, okay, it's a bit of an exaggeration. But trust me when I tell you, it ain't pretty what they do. Haven't seen any around here, have you?"

"We have," all three chimed at once. Sora stared at the djinn, taking note of the almost-serious tone he used – a rarity for Genie. It was making him nervous.

The blue phantom's eyes widened. "Then you just wait until you see one of them taking on a Heartless! Allow me to demonstrate."

Another puff of smoke, and a small puppet theater appeared before them. Moments later, tiny marionettes emerged from behind the velvet curtain – a mechanical Shadow, complete with light-up eyes, and a small replica of the creature that had tried gutting Sora.

Suddenly Genie was behind the three of them, brandishing a microphone. "Welcome, welcome, ladies an' gentlemen, check out today's contenders!" he called in a booming announcer's voice. "In this corner –" the Shadow puppet wiggled and scuttled about, a fair imitation of the real thing, "the tiny terror, the slashing shrimp, the vicious beast of nightmares, a _Heartless!_"

Raucous applause sounded from all around them, though there was no one else in sight. Riku's head swiveled left and right, confused and visibly unsettled. "That's… a little creepy."

"Aaaaand in this corner," the white puppet unfurled its miniscule wings, hissing, "we have today's challenger, a newcomer from who-knows-where! That's right, folks, this little upstart has proven themselves against foe after foe, taking down anyone who dares stand in it's path. He don't look like much but he is on _fire_, folks! And I do mean that literally!"

The stage beneath the puppet's clawed feet smoldered. "He's the one, the only, the mysterious, the merciless, _Thing Whose Name I Don't Know!_" The puppet opened its mouth and bared its fangs, hissing viciously at the Shadow, who simply waggled its antennae in response.

A bell sounded from nowhere, two loud chimes – and the two puppets threw themselves at each other in a flurry of limbs.

They tumbled about, snarling and screeching, sparks flying in all directions. The theater's curtain caught fire. The combatants ripped at each other with tiny claws, thrashing like wild things. In seconds they literally tore each other to shreds. Shattered marionette limbs scattered across the stage and were quickly engulfed in the growing flames.

Suddenly an oversized bucket appeared over the burning theater; it up-ended itself, dumping gallons of water on the small blaze with a hiss of steam. Then both theater and bucket vanished.

"That," said Genie pointedly, "is just the two little guys."

Riku winced.

The djinn disappeared and the aircraft's door opened, allowing Genie – in full airline steward's regalia – to lower a set of retractable stairs to the sand. "Which is why His Majesty would really, really, _really_ like you to come to this little pow-wow he's holding. He can tell you a lot more than I can, and they need your help. Badly."

The three exchanged glances. Sora looked at Kairi.

"You ready?"

She nodded, arms crossed firmly. "Ready for anything."

Riku did likewise, but didn't comment.

With Genie's hurried encouragement, they were in the air in only a few seconds. The plane was actually far more spacious than it appeared on the outside – doubtless an effect of Genie's magic – comparable to a commercial airliner, except they were the only passengers. Sora leaned back in the plush seat and looked through the window, watching the Islands retreating beneath them.

Their world was a small one, covered in blue and dotted with tiny patches of land. But the land was green, the blue clear and beautiful. He'd seen similar sights many times, but never of his own homeland. Wispy clouds swirled and undulated across its surface, their patterns growing ever more intricate as the group flew higher into space.

"Take a good look," came Riku's voice from the seat in front of his. "We don't know how long it'll be until we see it next."

Sora glanced at the back of the seat's headrest. "C'mon, Riku, try being optimistic. It may not be _that_ long."

Silence.

Then Riku laughed. It was a relaxed sound, full of amusement and – relief?

"Not for me, Sora. I'm not going back."

Sora did a double take. He blinked. He must have misheard. "You're – what? _Why?_"

The speakers picked that precise moment to crackle to life.

"Attention passengers, this is your captain speaking! We're about to enter a little somethin' I like to call _hyperspace_. We request that you remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened, and remind you that there is to be no smoking at any time. Kairi, you can sit down now. Thank you!"

Kairi laughed and flopped into the seat next to Sora. She beamed, eyes shining with excitement.

"Here we go, Sora! And this time _I_ get to come, too!"


	3. Radiant Garden

_Author's Note: Well, darn. This thing already suffered a dozen revisions and I'm still not happy with it – pacing is an issue, I think. If anyone can think of a way to improve this section, please let me know!_

_Disclaimer: "Me no own, please no sue."_

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**III.) Radiant Garden**

The argument ended in a stalemate.

It was to be expected, really – Riku had always been the top student in every debate class, dancing rhetorical circles around anyone who disagreed with him. He had an uncanny knack for taking anything Sora said and turning it on its head for use against him. The young Keyblade master had learned many things over the years, the most important of which was to know the battles one cannot possibly win. In the end, he backed down.

It wasn't an ending that phased him much, though Riku's refusal to elaborate was frustrating. There would always be time to spring the question on him – the question of why he didn't want to return home again, of what had driven him to that drastic conclusion, of what he expected to do living as a foreigner in another world.

Sora had many questions, as always. And as always, his friend seemed to enjoy watching him squirm as they went unanswered. But the boy didn't dwell on it for now. There was no point, not when there were so many other things to think about.

Things like how much Radiant Garden had changed.

The town had grown dramatically; the old districts were completely revitalized, and new ones had sprung up beyond their former limits. All manner of things glimmered in shop windows. The streets and boroughs bustled with people – Sora was certain he'd never seen half of them in his life, though he'd once known the brave few residents almost by heart. Flowers of every color burst from window boxes, yards, gardens, any patch of exposed soil they could find. Fountains spouted elegant streams of crystalline water. A sense of life and energy hung in the air.

Sora drank in the scene before him, imagining the kind of pride his local friends must feel for their beloved city. They'd been working so hard to restore it last time he'd seen them. And here it was, vibrant and colorful, as though the Heartless had never touched it.

"_Wow_," whispered Kairi from his side. "It's…"

"Fixed?" he offered. "Back to normal?"

"I was going to say 'beautiful,' but that works, too."

"Can't argue there."

Riku tapped them both on the shoulder – and they remembered that they were still standing on the steps of Genie's airplane. It had landed in the middle of what could have been a main square, or a weekend marketplace; it was deserted for now, but Sora imagined there was space enough to accommodate several merchant stalls. Quickly disembarking, the three looked back at the blue phantom, who dismissed the machine with a clap. It vanished.

Riku nodded. "Thanks for the ride. We owe you one."

Genie waved the idea away. "Not a chance, kid! What's a lift or two between friends?" The albino laughed. With a wave, he started off into the city.

Sora and Kairi turned to follow suit, but the djinn stopped the boy with a raised hand.

"Say, Sora, would you mind if I holed up in that little rock for a bit?" He clasped his hands hopefully. "There isn't much going on back home at the moment, and I'd just _love_ to come along for the ride. You never know when you might need a little semi-phenomenal cosmic power, right?"

"Sure, go ahead! It's no trouble."

"Ah, thanks, man! You're a pal."

He was gone in a puff of smoke.

Sora blinked. "Well, that was quick. I'll just assume he knows where the Summon Stone is…"

"It's right in here." Kairi patted the knapsack slung over her shoulder. "I packed it away so we wouldn't lose it on the way. This thing can hold other stuff, too, if you want."

"Right, good thinking – we'll probably pick up some useful stuff before this is over. Now where'd Riku go…?"

Kairi pointed to a series of stairs, leading to the top of the original city wall. "I'm pretty sure he's just following that pathway. We should go before he loses us."

As it turned out, they had landed just outside the city proper, by the new Eastern Gate – which appeared to be more of an archway than an actual gate. The three encountered minimal security measures as they made their way inside, as did the hundreds of others milling around Eastern Square. After a fair amount of asking around, Kairi literally stumbled across an item hawker who happened to have maps for sale. Her knapsack, and the wallet she'd tucked away inside, came in handy.

If the city looked twice as busy as Sora remembered, it _felt_ at least five times that. They ducked and weaved this way and that, jostled in all directions by the sheer mass of the lively crowds. At least people were still as polite and courteous as he'd expected. They were never once met with a curt response and always received generous offers of assistance, which they turned down with a smile and a head-shake.

"Why can't we just ask for the King again?" Kairi stood on tiptoe, peering over the crowd as best she could, hunting for landmarks. Any ones she may have seen were obscured by the masses and impromptu merchant stalls.

"They'll know something's up if the King's here," answered Riku calmly, mimicking her. His was the easier task, as he was over a head taller. "Some people might take it the wrong way and panic. It's better if no one knows."

"He may just not want people to know he's here, too." Sora stared at the map, turned it over and squinted, flipped it upside-down. "And whoever did this thing had no sense of scale. Where _are_ we on here?"

Kairi took a look, finger questing over the paper's colorful surface. "Hm… good question. I think that box right there is the – oh, wait, no. That's the clocktower."

"Right. And there's the old castle, the Bastion Museum."

"And if _that's_ the Eastern Gate…"

"And we went _this_ way…"

"Then we should be somewhere around here." The redhead glanced up, scanning the surrounding area. "But I don't see a Synthesis Emporium, do you?"

Sora scratched his head, baffled as he always was by maps. "Nah, those things are usually pretty tall. We'd see them above these other buildings – they're all regular shops."

"Hey!" They looked up at Riku, standing a few feet away, as he jerked his thumb in the direction of the nearest shop window. "Why not just ask? They know the place better than we do."

Kairi's eyebrows rose in mock surprise, and she touched a hand to her mouth. "Oh, I thought we weren't supposed to mention anything! Something about mass panic?"

Riku gave her an infinitely patient look. "We won't tell them where we're _going_, Kairi, we're just asking where we are on the map."

The girl merely lifted her eyes skyward.

Sora chuckled. "I thought _guys_ were supposed to hate asking for directions."

He was rewarded with a quick slap on the shoulder.

Riku, meanwhile, made his way through the crowds to the window, searching for the shopkeeper. Oddly enough, the area immediately surrounding the shop was relatively clear – he stepped out into a patch of open space and stretched his arms with a sigh of relief.

Sora wasn't far behind, and Kairi followed after him. By the time they reached the cleared area, Riku was already leaning over the ledge, peeking into the shop interior.

_Weird, there should be someone right there,_ thought Sora. "See anyone?"

Riku shook his head, craning his neck for a better look. "Nah, place looks deserted."

Sora sidled into his place at the sill, cupping his hands around his mouth. "_Hello?_" _Maybe they can't hear anything over the background noise._ "Anyone in here?"

Silence.

"Maybe we should go," muttered Kairi, glancing nervously at all the passersby. "They could be closed right now or something. There's other shops."

"They'd close the window if they were closed. Stuff would get stolen otherwise. Let's just wait a couple minutes – we'll go if no one shows up. Besides, the other places all have customers."

They waited. It was slightly awkward, but Sora didn't mind all that much. There wasn't anyone in line behind them. He could tell the others weren't so easygoing, though; Riku drummed his fingers against the windowsill, inspecting the sign swinging from a nearby inn, while Kairi fidgeted with her blouse and tapped her foot nervously. Minutes passed.

Finally, having never been much good with waiting, Riku leaned in and rummaged through a box of assorted bangles. He withdrew a pair of shining Dark anklets and shook them together, letting them jingle loudly. "Oh, look, _shiny objects_. But there's no one here for us to pay! How unfortunate."

Sora's brow furrowed confusedly. Riku winked – which immediately set Sora on edge. The last time Riku had winked, they'd both wound up stuck in a paopu tree surrounded by furious cats. Sora shook his head vigorously, but Riku only grinned. "If this doesn't bring him out, I don't know what will."

Once more, louder still, he called out to the shop's interior. "Well, I guess nobody will mind if we just _walked off_ with these… The sign says they're only 150 Munny, that's pretty cheap if you ask –"

A door opened and something flew at the window, nailing him in the face.

"_Try_ it and see what happens, moron! I'll be there in a second." The door slammed shut.

Sora blinked.

Kairi stared – and giggled. "That sounded like a girl to me."

Riku massaged his forehead. "Sounded like a _banshee_ to me." Something shiny caught his eye, and he stooped to pick up the fallen missile. It was a small figurine, a lump of silver metal molded in the shape of a turtle. The thing was surprisingly lightweight; it could have been hollow.

Sora raised a single eyebrow.

Riku glared. "Don't say anything. Don't even laugh."

"Who, me? Never."

"Yeah. That's what I thought."

The door clicked open, and all three heads turned to look – and to watch for any other unidentified flying objects.

A lanky young woman, little older than Riku himself, stomped out from what appeared to be the entrance to a forge. At least, it looked like a forge – intense firelight flickered in the background, and the sharp ringing of metal on metal resounded from its depths. Her clothes certainly supported the idea; baggy gray leggings sported several burn markes, black smudges covered the steel-toed boots, a sleeveless shirt was stained with soot, and the gloves were the thickest Sora had ever seen.

One hand swept aside stray papers from the cashier's desk, while the other tugged off a pair of thick goggles and shook out her close-cropped sandy hair. She glowered at them with a look of intense impatience.

"Alright, I'm here. What do you want?"

"We want to leave with our brains intact," muttered Riku. The look she shot him could have set paper on fire. The albino ignored it, dropping the metal turtle on the sill. "What's this supposed to be, anyway?"

"Jerk repellent." She pocketed it and turned her gaze on the other two, hands akimbo. "I ask again: _what do you want?_"

They hesitated. Open hostility wasn't really something they'd planned on, given the courtesy they'd been shown by everyone else. Kairi gingerly held up the map and pointed to it.

"Sorry for bothering you, but we were wondering where exactly we are on this…?"

Sora jerked a thumb in Riku's direction. "He was only trying to get your attention. We weren't really going to try anything stupid."

The girl regarded the silver-haired boy with a stony glare. Riku returned it with an icy look of his own. A few tense seconds passed.

"I'd smack you, but they'd fire me," she finally said flatly. Turning to Kairi, her expression gentled somewhat, though it was still far from friendly. "Look for Kupo's Synthesis Emporium. That's that little place next door, the one with the moogle hologram. This place right here," she patted the desk, "is Kupo's Armory, offshoot weapons dealer and trinket store." On the word _trinket_, she flicked a hand dismissively toward the bangle box. "Cheap things, those. I'd go to Johnny's if you want any decent combat accessories. It's right there." She pointed to a small red box toward the Western end of the city.

"Uh… wow, thank you." Kairi flashed a nervous, slightly relieved smile, doubtless grateful that she hadn't snapped their heads off. "Cool, then we'll just go and leave you to your customers. Thanks!"

They turned to leave, eager to escape the burning scrutiny of those steely eyes.

"Hold on a sec."

Sora slowed reluctantly, looking back with a grimace. "You need something?"

Head cocked slightly, she looked the three of them up and down. "Yeah, come here. There's people around."

Grudgingly, they approached the window again. The shopkeeper busied herself cleaning a series of wicked-looking tools. When she spoke, her lips barely moved.

"So this guy Leon asks me to keep an eye out for two guys and a girl, right? One's a spiky-haired brunette, smiley type. Another's an albino and the girl's a redhead. You look like 'em. Any of you know the guy I'm talking about?"

Sora's eyes widened. "Leon? Yeah, we know him. We're _looking_ for him, actually. Can you tell us where he is? The city's a lot bigger than I remember."

She smirked, but didn't look up from her tools. "He said you'd say that. Anyway, yeah, he's in the RGDC headquarters, down by the old bailey. Apparently I'm supposed to tell you it's where the Nobody hordes used to camp out."

Suddenly he knew exactly what she was talking about. The bailey, at least two years ago, led down to the passages that gave access to the Hollow Bastion. There had been a huge breach in the outer wall back then, and Nobodies and Heartless alike had streamed in through the gap in the city's defenses. Many heated battles had been waged on the bailey steps.

"_Ah, _okay, I know the area. Is it on the map, too?"

"Mhm. You'll have to hunt for it, but it's there."

Sora looked. Sure enough, after a moment's search, he came across a purple box along the Northern wall labeled "RGDC."

Kairi peeked over his shoulder. "What's RGDC?"

"I don't know, but it's that way."

Riku was already headed off in the indicated direction. He called back at them over his shoulder. "Hurry up, you two. They're waiting."

Kairi called after him and trotted off. Sora made to do likewise, but stopped and cast a backward glance at the shopkeeper, nodding his thanks. Her lips twitched in a half-smile.

"Good luck, kid."

Sora blinked, then grinned. Apparently she wasn't a _complete_ banshee. He made a mental note to buy something from Kupo's Armory at some point in the future – she seemed to know what she was doing, for all her unpleasantness – then gave chase to his friends, already several yards ahead. They were hard to track; the crowd was no thinner than it had been a few minutes ago. But a brightly colored "Bazaar Day!" provided a clue as to why it was so busy in the first place.

Or it would have, if people hadn't started screaming.

Up ahead, Sora saw Riku stop dead in his tracks, staring in the direction of the shrill cries. Kairi nearly ran into him. She looked around, bewildered and visibly unnerved. Fortunately their stalling gave him time to catch up.

"What's going on?" Kairi was asking, standing on her toes. "I can't see! Riku, move your head."

Sora, though not as tall as Riku, still had several inches on the redhead girl. He could just barely see the patch of humanity reeling in the distance. Such was the degree of frenzied motion that it could easily have been mistaken for a mosh pit, were it not for the shrieks of terror.

"There's some kind of disturbance," said Riku. "A whole bunch of people are running away from something, but I can't see what."

"_Thank _you, that was _so_ informative."

"I'm tall, not a giant, Kairi."

"Well, fine! Looks like we have to investigate this the hard way."

Before they could stop her, the tiny girl slipped between them and darted off into the masses. Sora's heart leaped into his throat. There was no telling what could be waiting in the heart of the commotion.

"Kairi, _wait!_" Sora sprinted after her, careening through the tightly-packed throng – parts of which now headed in the opposite direction, spooked by the sounds of fright. "Slow down, you don't know what's up there!" Men's and women's eyes widened as they saw _something_, and turned tail and ran shrieking for the Bazaar. Children squealed in panic, older voices shouted for help. "Get away from there, it could be –"

He broke through the crowds, into the space vacated by the alarmed multitude. His eyes fell on the source of the hysteria. The words died in his throat.

All six of them stood five feet high. Each darted through the street on no less than six legs. They all slashed the air with wicked, scythe-like arms, pincer jaws clicking and hissing like spitting cockroaches. They scuttled up the sides of buildings, bounded across the cobblestones in pursuit of screaming prey, twisted nearly one-hundred-eighty degrees to lash out at attacks from behind with sickening agility and terrifying speed.

They shone like little suns – but their fist-sized eyes were black as a nightmare.

He spotted Kairi not far to his right, watching their movements, sizing them up. Then, to his horror, she extended her right arm. A flash of light erupted in front of her, congealing into an intricate red-gold Keyblade, covered with floral designs and sharp as a thorn.

She narrowed her eyes and leveled it at the nearest creature.

"Kairi, _what are you doing?_ You can't handle all of these things!"

"Shush, I want to try something."

Before he could drag her away, a flurry of red lights swirled at the weapon's tip, and a bolt of fire flashed at the bright beast.


	4. The Defenders

_Author's Note: Yaaaaaay exposition!_

_Disclaimer: You know the drill. :]_

_

* * *

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**IV.) The Defenders**

The Fire spell exploded on contact, waves of flames hissing out in a wide blast arc, scorching the pavement.

The creature stood bolt upright. Its head swiveled, black eyes glittering, locked on Kairi. The twin scythes rose like a warrior's swords. The whirling flames suddenly reversed direction, sweeping back toward their bright foe, vanishing into its shining frame as though they had never been.

For a split second, the monster flashed with a supernova's brilliance – then vanished.

They froze.

Heart suddenly pounding, Sora summoned his Keyblade almost without thinking. The beast's companions seemed not to have noticed the disturbance. They scuttled and darted and slashed at anything that moved, just as they had. Something wasn't right.

Kairi cocked an eyebrow, letting her own floral blade lower a fraction. Nothing happened. "Did that kill it?"

Some sixth sense reared in the back of Sora's mind. He whipped around, blade raised and ready, just as a nebula of light glimmered to life behind her. In an instant it swirled and congealed, crystallizing into wicked scythe-bearing form.

"Nope!" Instinctively he called on the strongest Blizzard spell he remembered and launched it at the creature. The blue flash struck it dead in the face. With a shrill, grating cry, the thing wheeled and thrashed, scrabbling at its eyes and blindly raking the surrounding air.

Kairi dived in a forward somersault and sprang to her feet, striking out with an ice spell of her own. It hit the beast in the side and sparked another round of unearthly screeching. She turned to look at Sora – just in time to see the remaining five creatures silently converging on them.

"_Sora!_" More ice flashed with dizzying rapidity as the two spun around, battling back to back to keep their adversaries at bay. The mantis-like creatures had extraordinary reach; the scythes were long, serrated, sizzling, lightning-quick.

Then a familiar explosion of dark energy blasted a hole in their ranks. Two beasts were sent reeling to the pavement. The rest whipped around to look for its cause – one was greeted by a flying blade, which slashed clean through its heart. It dissolved in a cloud of sparks.

A collective shriek of rage went up amongst its fellows, who raised their scythes and stamped their spear-pointed legs into the ground. The offending weapon clattered to the cobblestones. It was, as Sora expected, a bat-shaped sword.

Gathering the beginnings of an ice spell, Sora lunged at the nearest mantis and slashed the Keyblade across its side. The thing screeched and staggered. One sharp foot lashed out in answer – he parried swiftly, bringing the weapon around for a lightning-quick retaliatory strike. The remaining ice magic crackling through it seemed to give it substance against the brilliant creature, and he felt it connect with a sharp _thud_.

Two beasts converged on him at once.

"Kairi!" he shouted, between dodging and striking.

The redhead stood perched on an overturned merchant stall. The high ground proved to be an advantage against the three mantises out for her blood – she easily drove them away with bolts of blue before they could get within scything range.

"What?" she called back, firing another spell.

"The Keyblades –" he ducked beneath a scythe and gave a thrust, " – can work if –" he feinted left, slashed right, struck, " – if you _half_-charge a spell!" A mantis scored a gash across his collarbone. He staggered backward, caught his foot against an overturned crate, fell hard. The mantis leaped into the air for the killing strike.

Then suddenly Riku was between them, catching the stabbing scythe on his own blade. He whirled to one side, directing the beast's momentum into a haphazard tumble. It crashed to the ground beside Sora and exploded in a hiss of sparks as the dark blade plunged through its chest.

Sora took his friend's hand and scrambled to his feet, ready to rush to Kairi's aid –

A familiar floating sphere zoomed past his head. It zipped toward the glowing things, humming with electricity and covered in little blinking lights. He recognized Cid Highwind's _claymores_, the mechanical drones the man had invented to keep the Nobodies at bay two years ago.

The sphere darted and hovered around the three attacking mantises, one of which stopped and batted at it with a scythe. The drone swung to one side, evading it. Suddenly the little machine gave a series of whirring, clicking sounds. A calm, genderless voice sounded.

"_Target identified._"

There was a hissing click, and it split into two halves. The mantis's head swiveled to follow one, then whipped around to track the other, crouched like a pouncing cat. One half slowed to a gentle halt over its head, while the other slid in beneath its legs. The creature cocked its scythe, aiming like a javelin.

There came a sudden blast of dark energy, a bolt of shadow made solid, slicing from one half to the other. It struck clean through the mantis. The beast screeched and evaporated in a cloud of shining dust motes.

Two more drones came whizzing through the street to make short work of the remaining mantises.

Kairi blinked at the sparking nebulae that were the remains of their opponents. After a moment's silence, she dismissed her Keyblade in a flash of golden light. Hopping down from her makeshift fortress, she sidled away from the floating spheres, eyeing them cautiously. "I'm hoping someone knows what these things are."

"Yeah, they're on our side – they're called _claymores_." Sora explained their purpose and origin, and whatever he could recall of Cid's lecture on how they worked. "But I don't remember them using… whatever they just used. It was always just electricity last time I saw them."

"They were using darkness," said Riku, one hand still resting on the hilt of his sheathed sword. "I don't know how, but that's what they just did. Pretty obvious."

"They got machines to use _magic?_" Kairi stared at the little drones with wide eyes. Curiously, she leaned close to inspect them. "Huh, looks like they still need electricity. There's a plug thing underneath."

The little drone came whirring to life again, lights flashing. "_Target identified._"

"What? No, wait!"

The sphere split in half again – but Kairi batted them away, sending them spinning several feet. The disconnected parts made an ugly grinding noise and reversed direction. They came whirling back at twice their normal speed, locked on the redhead.

She drove away the lower half with a sharp kick, punching its upper companion. "Okay, not funny! How do you turn these things _off?_"

Sora aimed a tightly controlled fire spell, which should have melted the little machine. But the flames struck some kind of invisible field around the metal itself, diffusing harmlessly into the air. Fortunately Kairi had no patience for malfunctioning technology, snatching one half from the air and slamming it against the cobblestones, where it was promptly stamped on and crushed underfoot. The other half had something akin to a mechanical seizure, screeching and flashing and whirling in dizzying circles before zooming off down the street.

Suddenly a figure plummeted from the roof, landing catlike on the stones before the renegade claymore. The machine zigzagged crazily to find a way around this new obstruction, but the woman feinted left and right, blocking its progress with a leveled quarterstaff. After a moment's stalemate the thing made to zoom over her head – but the staff smacked it from the air, dashing it against the ground.

The woman stooped to pick it up, cradling it like an injured animal, tucking it away in a little red bag slung about her waist. She looked up at them. Then she smiled brightly and waved.

Sora recognized her instantly – a small young woman, long brown hair tied back in a braid, vivid green eyes.

"Aerith!" He returned the gesture.

"You know her?" queried Kairi. The redhead looked at the woman and nodded toward Sora. "You know him?"

Aerith chuckled airily, covering her mouth. "I do. I assume you're Kairi?"

"Yeah! How'd you – _waaait_ a minute." Kairi's eyes narrowed and she gave the woman a swift once-over. "I know you."

Aerith nodded. "We were there when Sora first faced Maleficent, yes." She grinned approvingly. "As I recall, we had to drag you away from the Heart of the Worlds so you wouldn't rush in after him."

Riku cleared his throat pointedly. "You know where the RGDC is?"

"Oh! Right, yes – Leon told us to look for you. I'll take you there."

* * *

Unlike the rest of the city, the area around the bailey itself was relatively unchanged. The only real difference was the absence of the old reconstruction crane; in its place stood a small, innocuous-looking building, rather similar to the houses in the area. The only thing marking it as an important location was its swinging roof sign, which read "RGDC."

Inside, however, was another story – though it did have its "homey" rooms, and most of its flooring was basic hardwood, the whole place was lined with machinery of all types – monitor systems, computers, databases, even a bizarre contraption that looked like a miniature laboratory. This seemed to confirm Sora's budding theory of Cid's high ranking among the mysterious group, which he had begun to suspect included all the members of the former Hollow Bastion Reconstruction Committee.

He was right on both counts.

Upon their entry into the main room – the "planning room," as Aerith had nicknamed it – the figures crowded around the single round table looked up. Several familiar faces jumped out at him immediately. One such face, a shaggy-haired man with an old scar across the bridge of his nose, straightened.

"So, you're finally here." His voice was just as low and grim as the boy remembered. Sora smiled broadly.

"Nice to see you, too, Leon."

"Sora!" The sprightly voice could only come from Yuffie. And, sure enough, he soon spotted the young kunoichi waving enthusiastically from a connecting room.

Sora glanced at Riku and Kairi. "Guys, these are those people I used to tell you about. That's Leon, the girl way over there's Yuffie, the old guy's Cid –" Cid snorted and crossed his arms irritably – "you've already met Aerith, and that's…" His voice trailed off, and he scanned the room. At length he shot Leon a questioning look. "Where's Cloud?"

Leon shrugged.

"Who knows?" chimed Yuffie, peeking in through the open doorway. "He likes going off on his own. But he'll be back, you'll see!"

"Better get his act together soon," grumbled Cid, idly chewing his toothpick. "Else His Highness'll get here an' start talkin' afore he does."

Riku looked up from where he stood, exploring one of the computer consoles. "So if the King's not here yet, when's this meeting supposed to start?"

"_Now_, actually."

Every head turned to the main door. At first Sora thought the King had gotten taller – but then he noticed the long, thin snout, the beady black eyes. The stranger in the threshold was clearly of the same race or species as the King and Queen, as his round black ears testified, but there was certainly no mistaking his sneering voice for Mickey's.

He stepped forward, chest puffed out smugly, allowing the various mechanical lights to glint off the gold embroidery of his indigo vest. It was readily obvious that, while Mickey preferred more practical traveling garments when visiting other worlds, this specimen thoroughly enjoyed showing off his high status wherever he went. Every article of clothing, from the ruffled black shirt to the blue silk pants, looked ridiculously expensive.

The lanky mouse raised a gloved hand and cleared his throat.

"_Ahem_. It is my unfortunate duty to inform you that His Majesty, King of Disney Castle, is currently _indisposed_ to attend this little… erm… session, due to certain _unforeseen circumstances_. I, High Regent Mortimer, am here in his stead in order to convey his wishes for your quaint little operation."

Sora already didn't like the pompous creature. Riku apparently felt the same way, if his icy glare was any indication, and Kairi had wrinkled her nose disdainfully.

Leon gave a slightly sloppier-than-usual salute. "Permission to speak, Your Excellency."

Regent Mortimer raised a single eyebrow, staring down his nose at the leather-clad defender – which must have been difficult, considering how short he was. "Permission granted."

Leon's voice simmered with suspicion. "Would you care to elaborate on _why_ the King is absent for a briefing session he personally convened? He mentioned that his information could be critical to the defense of our world, and others. I can't imagine what kind of 'unforeseen circumstances' would keep him."

Mortimer sneered. "Indeed, I would think your imagination is rather limited."

Riku snarled something under his breath. Kairi pressed herself against the wall, as though to put as much empty space between herself and the mouse as possible.

"His Majesty has not granted me permission to disclose his whereabouts, other than the fact that he is in the company of his esteemed Court Wizard and Captain of the Guard. Whatever he may need those…those _particular two_ for is beyond me." At the mention of the "two," he rolled his eyes. It was clear just what he thought of Donald and Goofy's competence.

"_Hey_."

"Sora, don't," whispered Kairi, who had snatched his arm just as he stepped forward. "Think first."

The boy seethed, but settled for casting a blazing look at the smarmy mouse. Riku, however, took a different approach.

"Forgive the interruption, Your Excellency." He kept his voice smooth and neutral, just as he always had in their debate classes. "My friend must have mistaken your comment for a slight against two international heroes."

Mortimer blinked. Then he seemed to suddenly notice the dozens of eyes trained on him – eyes whose owners doubtless held no goodwill toward him, and who would doubtless write down anything he spoke that could get him in trouble for slander. Or insubordination.

The mouse frowned, then grudgingly nodded toward Sora. "Ah, I see now. I apologize for the misunderstanding." Then, to the rest of the group, "I have also been instructed to answer any and all questions you may have to the best of my ability – any that do not relate to the King's activities, which he assures us are in the best interests of this endeavor."

"What are those fire things?" Kairi piped immediately, her dislike of the creature forgotten in light of the chance to learn something useful.

The mouse cleared his throat again, and withdrew a folded slip of parchment from a vest pocket. "A valid question. Some of you may know, and some may not, that our latest enemy specimens –" he unfolded the parchment and showed them a series of diagrams, among them pictures of the fiend from the Destiny Islands and the mantis-creature from minutes ago, "are known as 'the _Sansouls_.' From what we have managed to gather from our intelligence sources, these beings are comprised primarily of Light, just as the Heartless are beasts of Darkness. Their origin, as well as means of multiplying, is as yet unknown."

Leon nodded. He gestured toward a series of papers strewn across the round table. "That's about as much as we've figured out. Any word on their weaknesses?"

"So far, only one – elemental magic."

"Fire, ice, lightning, that kind of stuff?" queried Yuffie.

Suddenly businesslike, Mortimer raised a finger. "Almost, yes. See, there appears to be a kind of differentiation between the effectiveness of various elements – Blizzard spells, and similar ice-based forms of assault, seem to have the greatest negative effect. Fire, on the other hand, invigorates them, as does Thunder. We're unsure why, but Professor von Drake is currently conducting a series of experiments on the subject."

"What about gravity?" interjected Cid. "Or time?"

"We don't know. The Professor believes their effectiveness is roughly the same as they would be against normal beings, if not slightly less."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Darkness?"

Mortimer hesitated. Slowly, he regarded the albino from the corner of his eye. "Darkness, you say?" He gave a serious look. "Well, this would be an assumption based on conjecture, as there are no _safe_ spells that utilize the power of Darkness – but I imagine it would do well, considering its opposite nature."

He paused, still staring suspiciously. Then he addressed the entire room again. "I do not recommend exploring such methods. In the past, all those who tampered with Dark forces have been consumed by them, and that would be most detrimental to your cause. Not to mention the worlds at large. And considering recent events surrounding the Heartless, I _hope_ that such an admonition is unnecessary."

Sora shifted uncomfortably. Mortimer had a good point, much as he disliked the lanky mouse. Harnessing the Darkness as a weapon against these things – these _Sansouls_ – was a tempting idea, but they all knew better than anyone what became of those who tried. Such efforts had never ended well, even for a good cause.

"I should add," continued Mortimer, "that there are ongoing efforts to locate the source of these creatures – in fact, that is why you all have been called here today." He drew himself up to his full height, not that it made much difference. "It is the King's wish that those of you who are willing to travel split into groups of three, visiting the known worlds and eliminating as many Sansouls as possible – and, if you are able, to find out how and where they enter the worlds. The esteemed High Sorcerer, master Yen Sid, has developed a particularly sound theory on the matter.

"According to him, the worlds are connected by three fundamental elements: Darkness, Existance, and Light. All things have "existence," but true _life_ is only possible where all three are mixed in a relative balance. Granted, that balance may be skewed to one end of the spectrum, but as long as there is both Light and Darkness, there is a living being.

"This idea has its flaws, of course – the Princesses of Heart, for one. There is no denying that those seven women are alive and well, despite their complete lack of Darkness. We never have been able to explain that phenomenon. However, the balance theory does explain how the Heartless and Nobodies could travel so quickly between worlds; as they are simply manifestations of their specific element, they are able to meld themselves directly into those planes of existence, essentially teleporting from point A to point B.

"Though they can _enter _those planes at any point in space, the places where the life-giving balance initially occurs – the 'point of equilibrium,' as it has been called – is the only place where they can _exit_. The greatest of these points are already known to you: the Doors to Light and Darkness."

A faint wave of murmuring filled the room for a moment.

Sora tilted his head slightly, brow furrowed. It seemed to make sense. Most of it, anyway. It certainly didn't change the fact that they'd sealed the Door to Darkness. It didn't change anything, really – it just presented things from a different angle.

"So, if we closed the Door to Darkness, does that mean we threw things out of balance or something?"

The mouse shook his head. "Oh, no, not at all. Actually, that was the first step to setting things _back_ in order." He spread his arms almost apologetically. "It would seem that this problem is much older than the Heartless invasion. Our records are un –"

Suddenly there was a loud _pop_, and Leon and company leaped backwards, hands flying to their weapons, as a cloud of white smoke burst into being on the tabletop.

Leon was quickest at the draw. Sora didn't actually see him raise his gunblade, but suddenly it was leveled at the figure that appeared from the haze.

"Stay right there!" he snarled. "What are you?"

There came a round of coughing, and the form resolved itself into that of a bearded old man, batting away the smoke with one hand. Once he'd regained his composure, he straightened and adjusted his pointed hat.

"Do put that away, will you? It's only me!"

"Merlin!" Cid pointed an accusing finger in the old wizard's direction. "How many times do I gotta tell you? Ya can't do that smokescreen trick in here, there's delicate equipment," he said, slapping the table for emphasis.

Merlin, busy cleaning his spectacles on his robes, squinted at the stubbly engineer. "Ah, I'm so sorry! Must've slipped my mind." He slid the glassed back over the bridge of his nose and surveyed the group. "Oh dear, am I late?"

Leon jerked his thumb in the mouse's direction. "Yeah, a bit. Mickey couldn't make it, so the High Regent's been filling us in."

The old man blinked, surprised. "The High Regent? You mean Lady –" His eyes fell on Mortimer. The mouse had gone very pale. Suddenly the wizard gasped, and his face twisted with indignation. "_Mortimer Mouse!_"

"Heeey." Mortimer waved nervously, attempting an innocent smile.

"Good heavens, man, have you been impersonating Lady Daisy _again?_"

"Say what now?" As one, all heads snapped around to stare down the once-smug mouse – but Sora was closest. "You said you were here on behalf of the King!"

"Okay, okay, let's not do anything rash…" said Mortimer, slowly backing away from the irate boy, hands raised before him as though to ward off an attack. There was no trace of his former aristocratic bearing. "Just give me a minute, I can explain –"

Merlin leaped from the table with surprising agility, brandishing his wand. "Mortimer, I'm fully aware of the King's absence, but that does _not_ give you the right to impersonate a royal official. His Majesty has been lenient before, but I can see to it that he is not so forgiving again! Now I suggest you take your leave of this committee while you only have two legs!"

"Point taken, gotta go!" The mouse was off like a shot, vanishing from sight before anyone had a chance to move.

Merlin sighed. He massaged his eyes wearily. "Ah, that one will never learn." Straightening, he turned to the room's remaining occupants. "He may not be a true representative of the King, but I can assure you he's entirely harmless – he wouldn't give out any information to us unless it's been confirmed by some other authority. He knows enough about the importance of this mission not to jeopardize it. Now, what did he say before I came stumbling in?"

Aerith, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, relayed what had been said. When she had finished, the wizard nodded. "Yes, that's all correct as far as I'm aware. I _believe_ that master Yen Sid and Professor von Drake are planning some kind of joint experiment – that's what His Majesty told me he was going to assist with, which is why he is not here at the moment."

Kairi raised a hand curiously. "So that bit about the Doors is true?" Merlin nodded, and she continued. "Okay, then, so the Heartless and Sansouls both come into this… this dimension, through those doors. How do they use them to travel between worlds? Why can't they just come in straight through the points on the worlds themselves?"

Merlin grinned, adjusting his spectacles. "Excellent questions, my dear. I believe the answer is that the two great Doors are the widest opening into each of the planes – they are the single easiest way to enter this "twilight dimension" between them. The points of equilibrium on the worlds are much smaller, better suited for use by those already in this dimension." He shrugged. "It's an odd explanation, to be sure, but it seems to be the one that best fits master Yen Sid's observations."

He clapped his hands crisply. "Well, then! Since Mortimer was kind enough to reveal your mission, I suppose we had all best begin our plans."

Leon nodded. "I'm staying here. We still need people to defend this city."

"Right!" Aerith moved to stand at his side.

"An' I'm the only one who understands these dern machines," said Cid gruffly.

"Oh, that remids me – Cid, the claymores need recalibrating now that Kairi's here. They've been mistaking her for a Sansoul."

"Say what? Hm… Ah, it's probably 'cause she's a Princess of Heart. No Darkness, y'see. Throws 'em off. Give it here, I'll fix it an' upload a patch to the other ones."

In unison, both Sora and Riku elbowed Kairi playfully.

"Ow! Yeah, thank you, Mr. Cid. And I think the three of us should stick together."

Aerith smiled. "Of course. You all deserve it – you seem to have a talent for getting separated."

Yuffie called from the other room. "Guess I'm with Cloud and Tifa, then! Hee hee, that oughta be _interesting_."

Leon casually rolled up a wad of scrap paper and tossed it through the doorway. Judging by the sudden yelp, his aim was as good as ever. "Hey, Yuffie. Quit trying to play matchmaker and show these three their new ship."

Aerith picked up her quarterstaff from the far wall, where she'd left it when they first entered. "I think I'll go back into town. Now that we know some of these creatures' weaknesses, we may want to talk to a few weaponcrafters and see if we can use them to our advantage."

Leon nodded, still pouring over maps and sighting charts. "Good plan. I'll go check up on the surveillance syst – _Ah!_ Yuffie!" He barely dodged a wad of paper flying back from the outer room. The young ninja came bounding in, barely restraining a fit of giggles, and grabbed Sora by the neck of his hoodie.

"Come on, wait'll you see the new Gummi!"

Before they could speak, she raced through the door. Laughing at the sight of the Keyblade bearer pinwheeling for balance, Kairi and Riku followed close behind.


	5. A Distant Thunder

_Author's Note: Thanks for sticking it out so far, guys. Hopefully things will start picking up from here on!_

_Disclaimer: consider it declaimed._

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**V.) A Distant Thunder**

John Ratcliffe thought himself a dignified man. He was one who could be expected to show proper courtesy to the ladies, to know exactly how to address a person of any rank, to elicit respect from any commoner worth their manners – and to wring it from those who weren't. But he was _not_ a man one would expect to find scrabbling at a small writing desk, desperate to keep his balance as the hardwood floor pitched wildly beneath him.

Thunder crashed just beyond the stateroom walls, rumbling in his chest like the roar of a raging dragon. He felt another wave slam itself against the ship's hull; the entire room rocked crazily, and the governor's stomach dropped as yet another enormous swell lifted them all into the air.

A flash of lightning threw a shaft of brilliance through the tiny porthole window. It was only a second's respite from the natural darkness, but more than enough to have him blinking away stars for several moments.

And after that – he just blinked. Incredulously.

"Who – who are _you?_" He tried to draw himself up to his full height, but the low ceiling made it difficult. "What do you think you're doing in here? I'll have my men throw you in the brig for this! _Out_, woman!" He stabbed one finger toward the door, his face a rictus of beet-red fury.

And then there was light.

Sheer reflex threw his arms up to shield his eyes against the sudden blinding glare – from what? It was bright as a fire, but he could hear no crackling; pure as the sun, but it was near midnight and a squall ruled the skies.

"You don't mean that, John."

That voice – he froze. Sweet and soft as an angel's, airy, melodious. Squinting against the unnatural radiance, he peered between his fingers.

"Have we met?" he queried. It was hard to see this woman, the light was so strong. Where was it _coming_ from? Surely she _herself_ could not be –

"I have known you of old. I have known many things." He could see a shape, a faint outline, like that of the sun viewed through a cathedral's stained-glass window. "And I know why you have come here."

Ratcliffe was silent. The whole world had gone silent, in fact. The deck still bucked constantly, but the sounds – what had happened to the sounds? He could hear naught but his own breath ringing ragged in his ears.

Words abandoned him. His mouth flapped like that of a landed fish, but no sound would come. "Who…?" he spluttered. "_Why…?_"

A face – a _beautiful_ face, with pointed chin and sharp cheekbones – a smiling face?

"Your journey is blessed, John. I come to offer you aid."

"_Blessed?_"

"Yes."

"Then you are – are you, perhaps, a… an angel, some divine guardian?"

The smile widened almost imperceptibly.

"I am many things."

The floor hurled itself upward, and John slammed against the desk behind him. He toppled to the floor in a shower of parchment; an inkwell smashed somewhere to his right. The governor gritted his teeth, massaging his back.

"Tell me, angel, why are you here?"

"To help you find what you seek."

"You cannot mean _gold_."

"I mean all that I say."

"How?"

The smile now showed pearly teeth. Slowly the apparition raised her right hand – and suddenly still more lights glimmered into being. Ratcliffe stared in wide-eyed wonder, and with no small amount of trepidation, at no fewer than eight radiant creatures floating gently in the air around him. Some were birdlike, some bestial, some a bizarre mixture of the two; some glowed red, others blue, a few green and yellow, some even shifted between. All of them stared at him, faceless, expressionless, calm.

"I give you my brethren. Use them as you will."

The governor stared. He blinked. He patted his pockets feverishly, eventually withdrawing a solid gold watch. It glinted in the radiance of his ethereal guests.

"This." He held it out for the creatures to see. They leaned close, inspecting, absorbing the sight and smell and feel of it. "We will reach landfall in a few days' time. Our purpose is this – _gold_. Spain has already lay claim to this uncharted territory, and it is Mother England's great destiny – _my_ destiny – to do the same."

A beast extended a shining claw, caressing the shining creation. It would have seemed an almost tender act if the thing was even remotely capable of expressing emotion.

The woman nodded, and grinned.

"It shall be done, Lord Ratcliffe."

And with that, she and her creatures vanished.

_Lord Ratcliffe_, he mused after a moment's stunned silence. _How dashing a sound._ And so it was with renewed vigor and grandeur that, minutes later, he threw the door open and strode out onto the sodden deck.

The rain had all but ceased, with only the occasional drop to flick the feather in his wide-brimmed purple hat. It wasn't nearly enough to threaten the crisp folds of his matching vestments, or the crimson cape that hung from his broad shoulders, or the polished ruby medallion that rested against his barrel chest.

His equally polished shoes clicked against the wood as he approached a whirl of activity at the ship's fore. Several men attended to two water-soaked lumps while others stowed a length of rope – which should _not_ have been out of place, he noted.

Ratcliffe lifted his chin imperiously. "Trouble on deck?"

All movement stopped at once, all heads swiveled in his direction. How he _reveled_ in that sense of command.

Suddenly the two lumps stirred. One got to its – to _his_ feet, and helped the other do the same. The first one, the taller and better built of the two, shook his bedraggled blonde head like a dog and met the governor's gaze. There was a rugged confidence in his dark eyes.

"Thomas fell overboard, sir."

Ah. And here Radcliffe had thought it was something important.

"Thank heavens he's been successfully retrieved. Good work, Smith."

* * *

"You're _sure_ you remember how to drive these things?"

"Gimme a break, Kairi, it wasn't that bad."

"Sora, you threw Riku into a window."

"There's a seat belt, you know!"

"Lot of good that does. This is a _ship_, not a trick bike."

"Are you making fun of me?"

"Of course I am, dummy."

"If you both don't _stow_ it, I'll throw you in the back and fly this thing myself." Riku leaned forward between the pilot and co-pilot seats from his position on the forward laser. "And you know I will."

Sora smirked. Knowing Riku, that wasn't an envelope he wanted to push – particularly since he doubted Riku had any experience with a gummi ship, talented though he was with its guns. He himself wasn't the most qualified man for the job, either; it had only been during their brush with the Organization that Donald had allowed him within eight feet of the steering wheel, and that was a while back.

"Well, there's something coming up on the radar now. I don't recognize it, but I can land us there if you really want a break from my piloting."

"That'll work." Riku slid back to his seat, absently fingering the trigger module. "That Leon guy told us to head for new worlds, didn't he?"

"Yep, and this is a new one alright. Look – it's not even in the computer's registry."

Kairi frowned and took a closer look at the screen. "Maybe 'new' isn't the best word. This is only a list of the worlds under Disney Castle's dominion."

Sora gave her a funny look.

She shrugged. "What? There's bound to be others."

Unconvinced, the boy nonetheless returned his attention to the wheel and its corresponding panels of buttons and lights. He flipped a few switches, angled the console, and grinned wickedly.

Kairi groaned and gripped her armrests.

"Can you at least _try_ not to kill us?"

"Aw, where's the fun in that?"

"Sora."

"Okay, okay, don't look at me like that. I'll take it slow."

"Thank you. It's nice to know you actually have some seee_eeeeEEEEEAAAAAGH!_"

The ship dived for its target with a flash and a zoom.


End file.
